


Till Death Do Us Apart

by zhiyenxo



Category: UP10TION
Genre: Angst, Cancer, Character Death, Fluff in the christmas chapter, Friendship, Gen, M/M, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-05 07:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12790143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhiyenxo/pseuds/zhiyenxo
Summary: NEW UPDATE: Christmas Special"They said that if we fold one thousand paper cranes, a wish will be granted by the gods," Hwanhee said as he dropped his 176th paper crane into the corked bottle that loomed over the tiny potted flower that Dongyeol had given him during his birthday."Well, what are you wishing for?" Dongyeol eyed the mystical creatures living behind a vast world so complex."It's a secret."





	1. Till Death Do Us Apart

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE:
> 
> As the UP10TION members (except Kogyeol) are all 18 years old in this story, the age order is according to their birthdays. So Hwanhee is the oldest and Xiao is the youngest. Not all of the members are in this story. There are only 8 that I managed to put in. Sorry in advance ><
> 
> I did a lot of research during the writing process but that does not mean that everything I had written is accurate. So please forgive me if I was wrong about any information! Please do comment and give kudos! Thank you <3

_**Till Death Do Us Apart** _

_**Words: 6774** _

Hwanhee sat on the white mattress, legs dangling from the side of the bed. He looked out of the huge glass window, staring down at the patients and visitors who were sitting on the park benches and strolling past the lush green grass. He mentally calculated how much time he had spent in this tiny ward. Probably three weeks. It would be the start of another school term tomorrow and he was not quite sure if he was excited or nervous. The door creaked open and Hwanhee looked back. His hyung dressed in white coat and a pen hung on his breast pocket stood in.

"You look great, Hwan-ah," Minsoo exclaimed and stood by him. "Congratulations for being discharged today." He smiled genuinely.

"Thanks hyung," Hwanhee smiled back.

"I'll see you back at home tonight. You'll be fine till then, right?"

"Of course!" Hwanhee grinned.

"That's great," Minsoo ruffled his hair. "Get home safely. Call me if anything happens."

Hwanhee stood up and slung his bag on one shoulder. Minsoo saw him out at the entrance before leaving for his duties. Hwanhee strolled to the nearest bus stop and sat waiting. He turned on his phone and was surprised to find many missed calls from his best friend, Lee Dongyeol. The latter had been trying to contact him for the past two hours. Hwanhee thumbed on the green call button next to Dongyeol's contact and pressed his phone against his ears. There was a dial tone — it was a song from Dongyeol's favourite female group — before he heard Dongyeol's anxious voice.

"Hyung!"

"Hey Dongyeol-ah."

"Why hadn't you answered my calls? I was so worried," Dongyeol whined. Hwanhee could imagine seeing Dongyeol pouting cutely.

He chuckled. "I was busy earlier. What's up?"

"I wanted to come over to your house. I miss you. We didn't get to meet up during the entire summer vacation!"

"Come over. I'm on my way home right now."

"Great! I'll see you later!" Dongyeol exclaimed and hung up.

The bus drove up and Hwanhee kept his phone in his pocket. He hurried up the bus and got a window seat. He leaned his head against the window and began to day dream. There were many things that had happened in his life, but he remarkably survived them. At aged 10, he lost his mother to cancer. At aged 14, he lost his father to a car accident. And at aged 16, he began counting down the days of his life. But despite all of these, he was still the same boy he had been, at least he tried to. Especially to Dongyeol, who had went through thick and thin with him, getting Hwanhee back on track whenever he goes too far off. But now, Hwanhee was sure that Dongyeol could no longer help him anymore.

When he was left orphan, he was taken in by a kind doctor he met. Go Minsoo, a resident at the Seoul National University Hospital, was Hwanhee's guardian for almost two years now. Hwanhee was just 16 when Minsoo first found him on the hospital bed, crying out in intense pain. He could not bear leaving the poor orphan even when he was discharged. So he took him in and Hwanhee had lived with him ever since. If people were to ask Hwanhee who he treasured the most in his life, he knew who to bring up.

The bus stopped at his destination and he got off. He was finally allowed back home after three weeks of smelling disinfectants and watching patients in the hospital garden. He walked to the apartment that Minsoo owned. It was not his real home that he grew up in for 15 years, but he was contented to even have a place to call home. When the lift opened, he was greeted by a bone-crashing hug from someone none other than his best friend.

"I've been waiting for you!" Dongyeol said. "Where were you?"

"I visited Minsoo hyung at the hospital," Hwanhee lied.

"Did you volunteer there during the vacation?"

"Kind of. I read to the children sometimes."

"That sounds really fun! Bring me along next time!"

"Sure," Hwanhee laughed.

"Let's go in! I have so many things to tell you!"

Dongyeol pulled him to the door. Hwanhee opened the door and Dongyeol rushed to Hwanhee's bedroom. He had came here enough times to know almost every corners. Sometimes, when they were lucky, Dongyeol would see Minsoo at home. Hwanhee went into the bedroom and set his bag against the study desk.

"Tell me everything," he said as he sat down on the chair, facing Dongyeol who decided to lie on the soft, cold bed that was left untouched for days.

"I heard that Jinwook and Sooil hyung are dating," Dongyeol disclosed.

"Really? Our class president and the most muscular guy?" Hwanhee gasped.

"Unbelievable, huh? I got a shock too when Sungjoon hyung told me last week."

"What's he up to?"

"He volunteered at the animal shelter with Changhyun hyung and Yein hyung. They posted a lot of photos via Instagram. Haven't you seen them?"

"Umm...no."

"Man, you have a lot to catch up on," Dongyeol tutted.

"Well, what can I say? You will always provide me with all the information," Hwanhee chuckled.

"Maybe during the winter vacation you can stay at my house," Dongyeol suggested.

Hwanhee thought about the countless appointments he had to attend, but he could not disappoint his best friend by saying 'no'. "We'll see."

Dongyeol hummed then turned his attention to the bedroom. "This place seems like it hasn't been touched for days."

"Is that so? Maybe it's because I spent most of the days in the hospital."

"You love that place a lot, don't you?"

Hwanhee found that question strangely amusing. "Maybe," he answered. If only Dongyeol had known...

 

  
Dongyeol continued sharing juicy gossips and news with Hwanhee until Minsoo had reached home. The tired doctor was not surprised to see an extra pair of shoes in front of the shoe rack. He walked to the boy's bedroom and smiled when he saw Dongyeol with Hwanhee.

"Hi kids!"

"Minsoo hyung!" Hwanhee exclaimed.

"I'm going to prepare dinner. Dongyeol, would you like to join us?" Minsoo asked.

Dongyeol shook his head. "I need to get back home." He then turned to Hwanhee. "I'll see you tomorrow in school!"

"Okay," Hwanhee waved him goodbye. Dongyeol bowed at Minsoo before leaving, and the apartment was quiet.

"So what have you two done today?" Minsoo asked as they went to the kitchen.

"Dongyeol was really eager to share with me about what our classmates had been doing. We didn't do anything else," Hwanhee replied.

"You still didn't tell him about it?"

"No...but I will, soon."

"He deserves to know. He is your best friend after all."

"I know that, but I just wanted to wait a little longer."

Minsoo ruffled Hwanhee's chestnut brown hair. "I hope that you can get another form of help other than me. I can't be in school with you."

Hwanhee sighed, "I know...I'll tell him when I'm ready."

 

  
"LEE HWANHEE!"

Dongyeol's booming voice could be heard from across the corridor the moment the said person had stepped in. Hwanhee stopped in his tracks and hugged the incoming boy, avoiding the stares that they were receiving.

"We just met yesterday," Hwanhee laughed.

"I really miss spending time with you in school. Come on, let's go and see the others!"

Once again, Dongyeol grabbed Hwanhee's thin arm and they raced to their classroom. There were some students who were already there, catching up with their friends about what had happened over the vacation. Dongyeol and Hwanhee went up to the group of boys who occupied the back cupboard of the class.

"Hey Dongyeol! Hwanhee hyung!" Sooil greeted and waved when he saw them coming.

"We were just chatting about the animal shelter," Jinwook told them.

"Tell me everything!" Dongyeol urged as he clinged onto Yein.

Hwanhee laughed at his best friend's action and sat on his chair. Both Hwanhee and Dongyeol sat together at the back of the class just in front of the cupboards. The boys often take the space there to chat with each other in between classes.

"The rabbits there were so cute," Yein squealed, almost crying.

"We were making jokes about how Yein resembles the rabbits," Sungjoon laughed.

"Fluffy and soft, but bites," Changhyun said while mimicking the biting action at the end.

"Yah! I don't bite!" Yein snapped.

"That's it!" Sungjoon shrieked and the boys laughed.

Hwanhee's stomach began to hurt. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the chatters. But he decided not to risk it. He stood up from his seat and briefly told Dongyeol that he would be in the toilet. He swiftly took something from his bag and stuffed it into his pocket. No one realised. He sped-walk to the nearest toilet and stumbled to the sink, breathing hard. Luckily, the toilet was empty. He took out the white bottle and popped a reddish-brown pill into his mouth. He closed his eyes and sighed. Minsoo had warned him about the side effects and that he should have someone with him at those times. But Hwanhee was still hesitant to tell Dongyeol the truth. The door opened and he looked up to see Dongyeol.

"Class is starting soon. You took quite a while," Dongyeol said.

"I'm coming out now," Hwanhee replied as he washed his hands.

"You're sweating."

"It's hot in here. Come on," Hwanhee wrapped his arm around his shoulder and they walked back to class.

 

  
Back in Hwanhee's first year of high school, he first knew Dongyeol as his seatmate. Subsequently, they became closer after numerous memories that they had shared. There were many arguments and desolations, but nothing had broke their friendship permanently. Their friends could not deny about how close the two were. However, despite how close they were, Hwanhee still kept a really huge secret from Dongyeol. A secret that would cost Hwanhee's life if he was not careful enough. A secret that would prevent the two from seeing each other again. But it was right under Dongyeol's nose all the time. Perhaps, Hwanhee had hidden it too well.

Amidst all of these, Hwanhee discovered an enthralling divertissement two months after the Summer vacation. It was a Japanese legend that promised a wish as long as one folds a thousand paper cranes. Hwanhee was not the type of person to believe in folk tales, but this was different. There was a wish he had to make before it was all too late. He started his first paper crane with amateurish skills. The wings were uneven and he was not satisfied with tail. But he was determined to finish the remaining nine hundred and ninety nine.

 

  
_**84;**_  
It was a Sunday and the boys decided to hang out together. Due to school and different plans among the boys, they seldom hang out as a complete group. But they did not ever let the chance slip. They went to the nearest street from school that was lined with a variety of shops, and were first attracted to one that sold many cute accessories and gifts.

"Look at this!" Dongyeol exclaimed, holding up a bunny clock that he saw the moment they entered.

"It's Yein hyung!" Sooil laughed.

"I know I'm cute, thank you," Yein said sacarstically.

Hwanhee caught sight of the shelf that had many corked bottles of different shapes and sizes. He immediately thought of his newfound hobby and figured that he could buy a container for the paper cranes. He took the biggest one, but it was too heavy for him.

"You want this?" Dongyeol asked from behind.

"I thought I could contain some origami," Hwanhee replied.

"I didn't know that you fold origami," Dongyeol said.

"It's a new hobby. It seems fun."

"You should show me your creations the next time I come over!"

"Sure, of course," Hwanhee smiled.

He decided on the medium-sized corked bottle that did not seemed too big or too small for a thousand. Dongyeol went back to the boys to look at what they were planning to buy. Hwanhee waited at the counter for the staff to pack the corked bottle up. He glanced behind him and watched the boys laughing about the jokes that they had created about whatever they saw. Dongyeol's face, too, was radiating. He then sighed. There was not much time left.

That night, Hwanhee folded more paper cranes and placed them all into the corked bottle. Minsoo found out about his new hobby and felt happy for him to have found a sense of hope. He even offered to fold some during his breaks in the hospital. At first, Hwanhee was quite sure that he would be able to reach his goal.

And he thought that he could keep the secret just for a little longer.

 

  
_**175;**_  
There was something that bothered Hwanhee for a long time. And that was about how he could break the news to his beloved friend. Many times, he tried finding a way to infuse it into a conversation. But his hesitancy did not bring him anywhere. Sometimes, he wondered if Dongyeol would decide to leave him because he would be too much of a burden. Or whether Dongyeol would see him in a negative light. But never would Hwanhee thought that Dongyeol would find out in the worst way possible.

 

  
"I expect everyone to do their job efficiently so that I could dismiss you early. Everyone wants that, am I right?" Their homeroom teacher stood in front of the class of 32, hearing them cheer in agreement. "Let's get to work! If anyone feels unwell, please inform me."

With that, the students scattered to their allocated stations. It was the school's annual recycling activity, where the students take part in some recycling efforts. Dongyeol, Hwanhee, Sungjoon and Yein ended up being in-charge of collecting recyclable materials from nearby neighbours. With boxes in their hands, they set off to the first apartment.

"Yein hyung, you look cute enough. You should do it," Dongyeol said, pushing the said person to the door.

"Hey! That's unfair!" Yein pouted.

"Dongyeol's right. If we ever meet any angry people, you would be able to help us!" Sungjoon reasoned.

"Why are you two using me for my face?" Yein frowned.

"Cut it out, I'll do it," Hwanhee said and went up to press on the door bell.

"Hwanhee hyung saves the day!" Dongyeol cheered.

The door opened, revealing a woman who looked to be in her 40s.

"Good morning ma'am, we are students from the school next door and we are collecting recyclable materials," Hwanhee greeted and they bowed. "Are there any that we could have?"

"Oh! Yes, I do have some bottles lying around here," the lady said and disappeared to get them. She reappeared and placed the bottles into Hwanhee's box.

"Thank you!" the boys thanked her.

"Great! We will be able to return to school in no time!" Sungjoon said.

"Can't we just pick some from the ground if we saw any?" Yein asked.

"Hey, that's a great idea," Dongyeol nodded.

Hwanhee chuckled, "Let's go."

They spent the next half an hour picking up cupboard boxes, newspapers, and pushing the talking job to each other. In the end, it was Hwanhee who did most of the talking. By noon, their individual boxes were filled and they started walking back to school. The pain hit at an unfortunate timing, however. Hwanhee resisted the urge to groan out and kept a straight face as they continued the journey back. By the time they went back, there were also some students who had just completed their assignment. They went to the white tentage and loaded their boxes on the tables along with the others.

"Yein and I are going to look for the others. See you!" Sungjoon said and the two ran off, leaving the best friends.

"Haish, those two left us behind," Dongyeol sighed and turned to Hwanhee. "Hyung, you look pale. Are you okay?"

"Wh-What?"

"Are you sick?" Dongyeol asked.

"I'm probably dehydrated," Hwanhee lied, avoiding his gaze. "I'm going to get my bag."

"Do you want me to come along?"

"No, it's fine," Hwanhee went off.

But it was not long before a wave of dizziness caught him off-guard and he grabbed the table to steady himself. Dongyeol was startled and rushed to him. The last thing Hwanhee saw was Dongyeol's worried face. And he hated that face.

 

  
When he woke up, he was first attacked by a blinding light. He blinked for a few times and made out that he was on a bed. He sat up and saw Dongyeol sitting beside him, and the school doctor at his desk. He was in the infirmary.

"You're awake!"

"Dongyeol..."

"Mr Kim said that you fainted due to exhuastion."

Hwanhee heaved an inaudible sigh of relief. So that was what he believed.

"I'm fine, Dongyeol-ah."

"You scared me!" Dongyeol looked as if he was about to cry.

"Sometimes I wonder if you are gay for me," Hwanhee laughed.

"This is not the time to joke around!" Dongyeol pouted.

"Was the class dismissed?" Hwanhee asked.

"Yeah, about an hour ago. But I stayed."

"Let's get home then."

"Let me come with you. I want to make sure that you are really alright."

I will never be alright. "Okay," Hwanhee nodded.

They thanked the school doctor and left for Hwanhee's house. As usual, Hwanhee took the window seat of the bus and leaned his head against it. Dongyeol was going on and on about what happened while Hwanhee was in the infirmary. But Hwanhee was too deep in thoughts to listen to everything that he was saying. It was one of Hwanhee's routine to ponder about how what he should do. Especially when he sat on the bus, it was a quiet moment, enough for him to think.

"Hey!"

Hwanhee snapped out of his daydream and turned to see Dongyeol's worried face yet again.

"You weren't listening to me. You okay?" Dongyeol asked.

"Yeah...I was just thinking," Hwanhee sighed.

"You've been acting weirder ever since school started, I'm worried about you."

Hwanhee laughed sheepishly, "I'm sorry."

"I wish you'll tell me what's wrong." Even from the side view, Dongyeol looked dejected. And Hwanhee decided that he hated this face as well.

They reached Hwanhee's house and their walk was painfully quiet. Hwanhee wondered if his hesitancy was slowly breaking the trust between them. The first thing that Dongyeol saw the moment he entered the bedroom was the huge corked bottle that he remembered from a month ago. Inside, different colours of only paper cranes filled a third of the whole container.

"You are really enthusiatic about this," Dongyeol said, admiring the colours. "How do you fold this much in just a few months?"

"Dedication, I guess."

"What are these for?"

Hwanhee did not answer. Instead, he sat down at his desk and pulled a white origami paper. Dongyeol sat down on the bed and watched Hwanhee's fingers worked miraculously around the paper as he folded.

"They said that if we fold one thousand paper cranes, a wish will be granted by the gods," Hwanhee said as he dropped his 176th paper crane into the corked bottle that loomed over the tiny potted flower that Dongyeol had given him during his birthday.

"Well, what are you wishing for?" Dongyeol eyed the mystical creatures living behind a vast world so complex.

"It's a secret."

"There you go with the secret again," Dongyeol frowned sadly. "You are weird. Really weird. First, you spend ages in the toilet, even till the point that you were late for Chemistry class once even though you love Chemistry. Second, you fainted today. And third, you have this...this strange hobby of folding cranes all just for a wish? What's really going on?"

"Dongy-"

"And I don't want to hear anymore excuses, hyung. I am your best friend. We..We shouldn't be like this!"

Hwanhee looked down at the floor, trying to form words in his mind. Dongyeol was still staring at him, waiting for something to come out from the brunet's mouth. He breathed deeply and looked up at him.

"Alright."

"Well?" Dongyeol urged.

"I have cancer." Hwanhee closed his eyes and waited for Dongyeol's reaction. He was too afraid to look into his eyes. He was anxious about how Dongyeol would react. Would he cry? Would he run away? Would he hate him? Would he-

"You...what?" Dongyeol asked, his voice shaking.

Hwanhee looked at him. "I have pancreatic cancer," he pursed his lips nervously.

"Tell me you're joking..."

"I'm not-"

"What the hell!" Dongyeol screamed. "How long?"

"Since two years ago..."

"LEE HWANHEE! How could you?" He was crying now and Hwanhee hated seeing him cry. "How could you not tell me anything? Anything at all?"

"I was afraid." Now Hwanhee was crying too.

"You bastard," Dongyeol cried.

"I'm sorry. It was all my fault, I should have told you."

"So...during vacations...The reason why you were always busy...?"

"I was receiving chemotherapy at Minsoo hyung's hospital" Hwanhee sighed.

"I need time to process all of this...You can't leave me! You...You won't die, right?"

Hwanhee shrugged. "I'm currently on Stage II but the medicine hasn't been working really well lately..."

"Are you folding all those cranes so that you can wish to live?"

"Actually, I wish to be with you forever."

Dongyeol's floodgates opened once again and he leaned forward to hug Hwanhee tightly. "I really hate you for this but I don't want you to die."

"I know, Dongyeol, I know."

 

  
297;  
Ever since the truth was revealed, Dongyeol was being extra caring towards Hwanhee and even learned how to fold paper cranes so that he could help. Hwanhee constantly reminded him to just treat him like the way he had done before. He hated it when Dongyeol seemed to be very particular about whatever Hwanhee did. Hwanhee also forced Dongyeol to swore that he would never tell anyone about his condition. The former wanted to spend time with the boys and graduate from high school without any fuss. After all, he was still Lee Hwanhee before or after the diagnosis.

However, Hwanhee was not able to assure Dongyeol convincingly as the frequency of the pain seemed to increase. Dongyeol refused to leave his side whenever it happened and swore to take good care of him. So most of the times, their trip to the toilet consisted of them sitting on the small bench and chatting lightly while they wait for the pain to subside.

 

  
_**354;**_  
It was late November when the first snow fell. Hwanhee and Dongyeol were doing homework together at the former's house. It was a productive hour before the merciless tumour decided to break Hwanhee's train of thoughts. He placed his pen down and breathed in deeply. Dongyeol noticed that he was not writing anymore and looked up at him.

"Is it hurting again?"

Hwanhee nodded and reached out for his life-saving pill. He popped one shakily and drank the cup of water that Dongyeol had just brought in. The latter watched him uneasily. But there did not seemed to be even a tad bit of comfort shown on Hwanhee's face.

"It's really bad, isn't it? You really need to check with Minsoo hyung. What if..."

Dongyeol instantly regretted it when Hwanhee groaned out in pain and begged him to call their lifeline. Dongyeol panicked. What if the cancer had spread? He realised that his suspicion was correct when he was sitting by Hwanhee's bed and Minsoo came into the ward with a grim expression on his face.

"The tests came out," he spoke. "Hwan-ah, the tumour had spread and blocked the bile ducts, the bile are built up."

Hwanhee said nothing and looked up at the ceiling. Dongyeol broke down.

"I need your approval so we can proceed to do a surgery to drain the bile out," Minsoo continued.

"Hyung, do it," Dongyeol cried.

"If not, there will be complications and I'm sure you don't wish to see Dongyeol crying worse than this," Minsoo's tone was like a stern father now.

"Alright," Hwanhee looked at him. For the sake of Dongyeol.

"I'll fill up the papers. You will be hospitalised for the time being. Dongyeol, please take care of him."

"I will!"

When Minsoo left, Dongyeol stood up immediately. "Since you'll be here for some time, why don't we continue folding the paper cranes?"

"Being in the hospital is boring," Hwanhee sighed.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Where are your house keys?" Dongyeol asked.

"Small bag pocket," Hwanhee replied.

"I'll be quick. Don't...Don't leave me while I'm gone. Promise?"

"Promise," Hwanhee smiled.

With that, Dongyeol left the ward. Hwanhee turned to his side and stared out of the huge window. It was his favourite thing to do whenever he was in the hospital. When he was bored and lonely, watching patients spending time with their loved ones seemed comforting, even during this state. But he knew very well that he was not going to make it. He thought of all the moments he had shared with Dongyeol, the things that the latter had done for him, and most importantly, his crying face. It hurts more than the cancer to see him cry because of him. Lately, Hwanhee was making Dongyeol cry a lot. It was not even their third year of high school, yet Hwanhee was already getting worse. Fresh tears began to find their way out of his eyes. How could they possibly fold a thousand paper cranes in time? Does this legend even come true at all?

 

_**587;**_  
Dongyeol had the chance to see Hwanhee off to the operating room before he started working on the paper cranes. Sitting on Hwanhee's bed with the bottle of colourful paper cranes and origami papers on the overbed table, he began to fold. About an hour later, a sedated Hwanhee was wheeled in and Dongyeol got off the bed to sit on the fabric sofa to continue the work. But every now and then, he stared at the transparant bag that dangled out from the blanket. Greenish-yellow stuff were dripping into it. Dongyeol was determined to get used to seeing that on Hwanhee if he wanted to continue taking care of him. He folded all the way till the sedative wore off and Hwanhee woke up. It was already early morning, and Dongyeol thanked god it was a Saturday.

It was gruesome. Hwanhee thought. He stared long and hard at the long tube that transported stuffs that were coming out from his body and he felt sick. Minsoo and Dongyeol were watching him closely.

"How are you feeling?" Minsoo asked.

"Uncomfortable," Hwanhee replied. Ironically, he could not take his eyes away.

"The area of the surgery will hurt sometimes. I know it will be really uncomfortable for now. But you will get used to it soon enough. I will have a nurse to brief you about drainage bag care," Minsoo explained.

"It looks...embarrassing..."

"I understand. We can provide a cover so you can hide it. And the leg bag would be able to be concealed under your clothes. You won't have to worry much. Unless, you wish to stay here instead? We can do the necessary arrangements."

Hwanhee looked at Dongyeol. The latter was looking rather hopeful for Hwanhee to say no.

"No, it's fine," Hwanhee looked back at Minsoo.

"Alright. You can leave tomorrow or right after we checked your vital signs," He paused and looked at him softly. "I know I'm not at home most of the time and I wouldn't know what had happened unless you told me. But please take care of yourself, okay? And let Dongyeol help whenever he can. Dongyeol will be briefed about the drainage care too."

"Yes, hyung. I'm sorry," Hwanhee said.

"I will take good care of him!" Dongyeol exclaimed.

"Thank you Dongyeol-ah. I'm glad that Hwanhee has such a great friend. I will take my leave now. Please rest well, and Dongyeol, please sleep even just for a while."

"Alright," Dongyeol laughed sheepishly.

"You didn't sleep?" Hwanhee asked in disbelief.

"I didn't...I was folding the cranes and I didn't keep track of the time," Dongyeol explained, motioning to the table full of papers. Hwanhee could see that the amount of paper cranes in the corked bottle had increased significantly.

"Oh, Dongyeol-ah," Hwanhee sighed. "Why don't you get some sleep? There's not much to do here with me anyways."

"Can we fold just a little more? Please? I'm not tired at all," Dongyeol begged.

"But you need sleep," Hwanhee tried to reason.

"Please? I really want to help!" Dongyeol pouted. Hwanhee sighed. He could never win against that.

"Fine, just for a while," Hwanhee nodded.

Dongyeol cheered and placed some origami papers on the overbed table for Hwanhee. He helped Hwanhee to sit up, careful not the affect the tube or drainage bag. He then sat on the sofa again and began to fold happily. They were silent for a few minutes as Dongyeol was too engrossed with the paper cranes to start any conversation. Hwanhee, on the other hand, was thinking again.

"I hope you are not scared of that thing," Dongyeol broke the silence.

"It's really weird," Hwanhee said.

"Yeah, I do agree with that. But we gotta get used to it if you want to live and if I want to continue staying with you."

"I'm deteriorating, I don't think I'll even live long enough for you to be staying with me," Hwanhee sighed.

"Don't say that!" Dongyeol frowned.

"Admit it, Dongyeol. The cancer had spread. My mother died of pancreatic cancer when I was 10. I'm going through the same fate as her. I'm going to die."

"No, you're not! You're going to recover."

Hwanhee tore the blue floral origami paper in his hand. There were visible dark spots on it. "I'm not going to make it. There's no point in folding these."

"I want to continue creating new memories with you. I need you. You can't give up on yourself just like this! There is-"

"It's cancer! I don't have a choice to live!" Hwanhee snapped.

"You do!" Dongyeol screamed. "You are just afraid!"

Hwanhee stayed quiet. He did not want to upset Dongyeol further.

"Let's sleep. I'm tired. You're tired," he said.

"Alright," Dongyeol sighed and laid down on the sofa.

Hwanhee, too, laid down and tried not to move. The tube was uncomfortable, but he had to deal with it. For the sake of Dongyeol.

 

  
_**612;**_  
Hwanhee was discharged the next morning and Dongyeol was stressed out about the various procedures to take care of the bag. Hwanhee seemed to be calm, or so Dongyeol had thought. Hwanhee left the hospital with a leg bag strapped to his leg and it was concealed under his jeans. He was intrigued yet embarrassed. Dongyeol held Hwanhee's hand to calm him down on the bus home. Hwanhee managed to hide the bag from everyone he met, even in school. To the boys, Hwanhee was just as ordinary as always. They only had a few weeks left before the bag can be removed.

Bile duct blockage aside, the cancer was still growing. Hwanhee could feel his time running out when he developed new symptoms. Climbing the stairs was beecoming difficult as he found himself gasping for breath by the time he had reached. Dongyeol had to wait for him all the time. Hwanhee was also tired and slept in class a couple of times — even during his favourite Chemistry class. Dongyeol was beginning to worry, again. He had nagged Hwanhee numerous times to get checked with Minsoo, but Hwanhee was too afraid. He was afraid that going there meant being diagnosed with something new, and it would be one step away from happiness with Dongyeol. They still had a long way to go to reach a thousand.

Stubborn Hwanhee was still stubborn and hesitancy got the better of him.

 

  
_**699;**_  
"Six hundred and ninety nine," Dongyeol said as he placed the green paper crane into the corked bottle.

He looked at Hwanhee who did not seemed to be concentrating on the folding. The latter's fingers were working slowly, and his eyes were just fixated on the floor.

"Hyung," he snapped his fingers in front of Hwanhee.

Hwanhee looked up at him, "What is it?"

"You're thinking again, as always," Dongyeol said while he picked a pink origami paper.

"What..." Hwanhee started, "What will you do if I'm...gone?"

Dongyeol's hands froze. "What are you talking about?"

"I meant what I just said," Hwanhee frowned.

Now it was Dongyeol's turn to frown. "You're scaring me."

"I've been scaring you a lot," Hwanhee said practically.

"True, but, are you...okay?" Dongyeol asked. "Like...mentally, I don't know. You're weird. Maybe it's the cancer. I don't know."

"I'm just-" He coughed abruptly. Dongyeol stared at him as the latter did not seemed to be stopping anytime.

"Are you alright?" There was a strong hint of alarm and worry in Dongyeol's tone that Hwanhee disliked. Amidst the panic, Hwanhee realised just how many things he hated within a few months.

"Just a minute," Hwanhee said a little inaudibly and rushed to the bathroom.

Dongyeol followed behind and he rubbed Hwanhee's back. Hwanhee was shaking and coughing into the sink. Hwanhee breathed, and it hurt. Dongyeol froze when he saw something tinged with red lying flamboyantly on the white pristine sink.

"Hyung..." He spoke and looked up at Hwanhee. Hwanhee was equally appalled by the scene. Dongyeol noticed that the latter was sweating profusely. He brought a hand up to Hwanhee's forehead and widened his eyes. "You're burning up!"

"Call...Minsoo hy-" Hwanhee collapsed onto the floor without finishing his sentence.

Dongyeol screamed. He fished out his phone immediately and punched in the numbers that he knew too well.

"Dongyeol? What's wrong?" Minsoo's voice was heard.

"H-Hyung! He..He just coughed up something with blood and he fainted. He has a fever too. What should I do?" Dongyeol cried.

"Call the ambulance now, I'll meet you there."

Dongyeol immediately hung up and called for an ambulance. It was just as scary as that time when Dongyeol first found out Hwanhee had a life-threatening disease. At first, he wished really really hard that Hwanhee was just joking with him, and that Hwanhee was just really that weird. Every moment he had spent with Hwanhee seemed like a reminder that he would disappear any time. Unpredictable. Uncertain. Unforseeable. And that honestly scared him.

 

  
_**741;**_  
Minsoo sat on one of the waiting chairs outside the Intensive Care Unit. He looked through the glass walls, where a bed was situated in the room and a particular boy on it was hooked onto machines. Dongyeol was beside him, hands shaking and crying because...

"The cancer had spread to nearby organs," Minsoo explained, watching Dongyeol closely. "And it's pneumonia, all we could do about it was to give him antibiotics and a ventilator. We will also increase the dose for the chemotheraphy. But I can't confirm that he will...make it." The last sentence hurt.

Dongyeol nodded and wiped his tears away.

"The paper cranes, will they work?"

"I'm not sure, Dongyeol..."

"We need to finish folding them. I'll...I'll get our classmates." He stood up.

"Dongyeol."

"We need to save him. You will save him, won't you? He will live. He have to."

"Dongyeol, please."

"I will call our classmates."

Dongyeol sped-walk away to the nearest staircase, away from Minsoo, away from the excruciating truth. He pushed opened the door and sat on the steps. He fumbled for his phone and shakily pressed on the second caller ID.

"Dongyeol? What's up?"

"Jinwook hyung," he breathed. "Can you and the others come over to Seoul National University Hospital immediately?"

"What?" Jinwook yelled. "Hospital? Why? What happened to you?"

"It's not me. It's Hwanhee hyung," Dongyeol choked.

"What happened?"

"Please come, please," Dongyeol begged.

"Alright, we're coming as soon as we can!"

Dongyeol waited lifelessly by the entrance. He sat there, leaning against the wall, ignoring the questioning stares from passers-by. He looked up the moment he heard the familiar shout of his name. The five boys ran over to him.

"What happened? Where is Hwanhee hyung?" Yein asked immediately, almost choking on his words.

"He's in the ICU right now," Dongyeol replied.

"What happened? Isn't he healthy?" Sooil asked.

Dongyeol laughed sacarstically. "You wouldn't believe your ears when I tell you he has freaking cancer."

"Cancer?" The boys asked in unison.

"He has pancreatic cancer. I only knew it a few months ago. And his condition has been deteriorating."

"He didn't told us anything! And he looked fine on the outside," Yein said.

"He's Lee Hwanhee, how many times did he actually told us how he's feeling? He didn't even told _me_ anything."

"What can we do?" Changhyun asked.

"There has been something the two of us had been doing with Minsoo hyung. We've been folding paper cranes. A thousand paper cranes that can give us a wish."

"The Japanese legend..." Yein said.

"Will you guys help us? We're at seven hundred and fourty one."

"Of course! Let's hurry!" Sungjoon nodded his head enthusiastically.

The six boys sat around a table at the waiting room, the table was scattered with colourful origami papers and a single corked bottle standing in the middle. Minsoo walked past them a couple of times and always looked in to check how the boys were doing. Ocassionally, he would inform them about Hwanhee's condition. The person who was the most determined was none other than Dongyeol. Jinwook had tried to get him to eat and drink something for the whole time they were there. But Dongyeol was still folding. And folding. And folding. Even when the boys were sleeping on the sofas. When Minsoo's shift had ended that evening, he called the boys' parents to inform them that they would not be home for the night. Despite being tired, Minsoo joined Dongyeol to fold, although also ocassionally reminding the boy to eat.

 

  
_**995;**_  
A nurse came running into the waiting room for Minsoo.

 

  
_**996;**_  
Hwanhee was given morphine.

 

  
_**997**_ ;  
Dongyeol moved to fold near Hwanhee's bed.

 

  
_**998;**_  
Hwanhee looked peaceful.

 

  
_**999;**_  
Minsoo pursed his lips as he stared at Dongyeol folding the last paper crane.

 

  
_**1000;**_  
Dongyeol folded the tip of the crane's head down and pulled both the head and tail outwards. He looked at his best friend on the bed. There was not a single movement. He stood up from the chair and went to the bed. He grabbed Hwanhee's hand tightly and placed the last pink paper crane on Hwanhee's chest. It was his favourite colour. He leaned his forehead against Hwanhee's arm and began to sob loudly. Minsoo held back his tears. Like Hwanhee, Minsoo did not really believed in folk tales. But deep down inside, he prayed hard that God would really grant their wish. The boys came running, and gasped when they saw Dongyeol crying.

"Is he..." Sungjoon started.

Minsoo was about to speak, but he caught sight of something.

"Dongyeol-ah, look at that," he said.

Dongyeol looked up, but before he could ask Minsoo, he had already seen what he had noticed. Minsoo was not the type to believe in miracles even though he had seen some throughout his years working in the hospital. And he did not know that a single incident would change his mind because...

 

 

 

 

Hwanhee's fingers moved.


	2. In Sickness And In Health

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is an indefinite progress of existence that occurs in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future. Time slips away when one desperately needed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE:
> 
> I would like to thank my best friend Alyn, who had given me a lot of support in writing this series! I felt that I should write a sequel so that the story could end properly. Likewise, I researched as much as I could, but there might be some errors! Thank you for reading Till Death Do Us Apart, and I hope that you would enjoy the sequel! Please give kudos and comments <3

_**In Sickness And In Health** _

_**Words: 7745** _

****

Three years ago, he was nicknamed as a miracle. No one knew that a young boy diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer could survive merely with a thousand paper cranes. Maybe God had heard Dongyeol's prayers every night, maybe the tumour pitied on Hwanhee, or maybe this was just another medical mystery never to be solved. Hwanhee was 'clean' for the next three years.

 

  
After graduation from high school, Hwanhee and Dongyeol lamentably parted ways. There were a few calls here and there to check on each other, with birthday presents sent to each other on time. But as years went by, there were months without a single phone call from each other, and was there no mail. Soon, the memories of each other were stored at the back of their minds as they went about their own lives.

 

  
Since young, Hwanhee had taken a liking to animals. Although neither his family nor Minsoo had owned one, Hwanhee would usually spend time feeding the stray cats that he met on the way to school or home. And that was why he decided to volunteer at the nearest animal shelter after leaving his last job. For the past few months, his life only consisted of furry animals with a strong will to survive. He found it ironic as he did not believe in his. His volunteer job at the animal shelter was different than the others. He was only in-charge of feeding the animals.

While working in the animal shelter, there was a particular black and white cat which Hwanhee adored. Often, after his duties were done, he would spend the remaining time playing with her whenever he was not called to help out. Strangely enough, the cat was never adopted during his time there, and Hwanhee had never expected how this beloved cat would leave the shelter.

 

  
"Hwanhee hyung?"

The hand that was holding a squeaky toy froze. That voice was familiar. Hwanhee looked up slowly and scanned the man who was standing at the door. He came to a sudden realisation that the man before him was the same boy who had helped him folded the remaining eight hundred and thirty five colourful paper cranes. The same boy who had given him hope.

"Dongyeol?" Hwanhee called out as he stood up slowly.

"I didn't know you work here," Dongyeol said.

"I started volunteering a few months ago," Hwanhee explained.

A tall man appeared from behind, completely oblivious about Hwanhee, and holding onto two feeding bowls of different colours.

"Dongyeol-ah, I couldn't choose between these two colours. And have you chosen our new pet?"

Dongyeol looked at him then back at Hwanhee, who was staring with a blank look. The man seemed to have gotten the message and looked at other.

"Wooseok hyung, this is the best friend that I had told you about," Dongyeol motioned to the said person.

Wooseok inspected Hwanhee from head to toe, making Hwanhee a little uncomfortable. "Lee Hwanhee?" He asked.

Hwanhee nodded, "It's nice to meet you." He reached out a hand, and Wooseok shook it.

"I'll wait for you at the store," he said to Dongyeol before leaving the two behind.

Dongyeol looked apologetic when he faced Hwanhee again. "That was my...boyfriend." It seemed really hard for Dongyeol to say the last word.

"Ahh, I see," Hwanhee nodded.

"I know," Dongyeol sighed. "I'm sorry that I didn't call you about this before."

"That's alright. I'm happy for you," Hwanhee smiled. "Are you two here to adopt a pet?"

"Yes, we were thinking of a dog but..." Dongyeol nodded and looked at the black and white cat. Hwanhee bent down to pick it up and brought it closer for Dongyeol to see.

"This is Ireumi. She was here a month before I came, but no one had adopted her yet. She has diabetes and was abandoned by her previous owner due to too much responsibilities," Hwanhee explained.

"She's beautiful. And reminds me of you," Dongyeol smiled.

Hwanhee laughed, "How so?"

"She's a strong girl, just like you during those times."

Hwanhee gave a forced smile. "Would you and Wooseok-sshi like to adopt her?"

Dongyeol nodded, "I'm sure he'll love her too."

"We'll need both of you to come along during the adoption process."

"Before that, hyung," Dongyeol stopped him.

"What is it?"

"How have you been for the past few years?"

Hwanhee looked down at the black and white cat. "I've been fine. I used to work at a fast food restaurant but I quit to volunteer here."

"You're not studying?"

Hwanhee shooked his head and Dongyeol frowned.

"How strange of you to do that. How are you supporting yourself then?"

"Well...Minsoo hyung," Hwanhee replied sheepishly.

"Gosh, you need to get a proper job or education soon," Dongyeol tutted. "We're both already 21 this year."

"I will."

"Dongyeol? You took some time," Wooseok came in just then, interrupting them.

"Oh! We were just catching up on stuffs. Do you like this cat?" Dongyeol asked as he recieved Ireumi from Hwanhee.

"It's pretty. We'll adopt it if you love it," Wooseok nodded.

"Great! Ireumi will be a new addition to our family now!" Dongyeol exclaimed and Hwanhee felt a sour feeling inside of him.

 

  
Never had Hwanhee thought that he would meet his best friend again during a situation where he would lose a friend that had been accompanying him for the past months, and also meet his boyfriend. It was sad, yet he had to be happy, for both Dongyeol and Ireumi. Dongyeol called Hwanhee the next day, asking him over to join them for dinner. The former subsequently gave him the address to his new apartment. On the way to Dongyeol's new house, Hwanhee contemplated whether Wooseok disliked him at all. And he did not know that he was so deep in thought until he found himself already standing in front of the door that would lead to Dongyeol's life during the past years. He still hesitated though, something that he had not gotten rid off. But he decided that he should not be standing outside too long, Dongyeol was waiting for him. With a ring of the bell, the door opened, revealing Wooseok.

"Hello, Wooseok-sshi," Hwanhee greeted with a sincere smile.

Wooseok nodded and motioned him in. The house was completely different from the one that Hwanhee had lived in for the past five years. It looked more cozy and furnished. There were picture frames hanging on the walls and situating on the drawers. Hwanhee could see that the couple had put in a lot of effort to decorate the place. There was a large cat tree tower in between the living room and open kitchen. Ireumi was around a scatter of different cat toys and playing with a feather toy. Wooseok seemed to be playing with her before Hwanhee had arrived.

"Dongyeol is in the kitchen right now," Wooseok told him.

"I see," Hwanhee nodded and peaked into the kitchen.

There was Dongyeol's backview, with a baby blue apron tied to his waist. He seemed to be stirring something in the pot. There were already some plates of food ready on the dinning table in between the living room and the open kitchen. Dongyeol glanced back for a while and caught sight of Hwanhee awkwardly standing there. He smiled at him and quickly served the finished soup.

"Hyung! You came!" Dongyeol exclaimed as the three made their way to the dining table.

"How could I ever reject this offer? I have never tasted your food before," Hwanhee laughed.

Dongyeol untied the apron and placed it on the counter top.

"I'm nervous, I did not know if you would like my cooking." They sat down on the table, with Hwanhee sitting opposite the couple.

"I'm sure I will. They all look appetising," Hwanhee said.

"Let's dig in then!" Dongyeol said.

Whenever Hwanhee ate elsewhere, he was cautious. Having pancreatic cancer meant being particular about what he was eating. Too strong an odour and he might ruin the whole dinner. Thankfully, Dongyeol helped saved the night.

"The food is bland today," Wooseok said.

"I thought that Hwanhee hyung would prefer a much blander food than we usually have," Dongyeol explained.

Hwanhee was thankful for Dongyeol, yet surprised that the latter had tailored the food according to Hwanhee's taste despite not knowing that...

"But it still taste good," Wooseok smiled.

It was the first time Hwanhee saw him smile. But of course, they had only met each other for two days.

"Of course it is! I am the one who cooked these," Dongyeol laughed. Hwanhee missed that laughter.

Dinner was filled with mostly chatters among the couple, with Hwanhee listening and occasionally answering questions. After dinner, Dongyeol begged Hwanhee to stay for a little while. It had been, after all, three years since they had seen each other. So the two of them were sitting on floor, playing with Ireumi, while Wooseok sat on the sofa to read a magazine. Ireumi immediately recognised Hwanhee the moment she smelled his hand. And she snuggled against Hwanhee while purring.

"She really likes you," Dongyeol smiled.

"We did spent a long time together at the animal shelter. It's no wonder," Hwanhee nodded.

Dongyeol picked up the feather toy and waved it around. Ireumi leaped off Hwanhee's lap and tried to catch it. Dongyeol giggled as they watched her jumped and ran around.

"So...what have you been doing after graduation?" Hwanhee asked.

"I went to university and moved out to a place nearer to school. I met Wooseok hyung there. Even though we are majoring in different things, we got along pretty well and we soon dated. He doesn't live with me, but he stays overnight sometimes. I've talked about you to him many times though, you just can't get out of my mind," Dongyeol laughed at the end.

"Is that so?" Hwanhee smiled.

"Well, I do miss you a lot. Have you forgotten about how close we were back then?"

"Of course not! You are always my best friend, Dongyeol-ah!"

Ireumi caught the feather and rolled over onto her back. Dongyeol squealed with delight.

"She's really adorable!"

"I'm glad that the two of you are taking good care of her."

Hwanhee glanced up at the silver stylish wall clock. It was already past 11pm.

"I should head home now, I can't let Minsoo hyung worry," Hwanhee said and stood up.

It was a wrong move to get up too quickly and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He stumbled back a few steps and covered his eyes, partly due to embarrassment.

"Hyung!" Dongyeol shrieked and caught him.

"It's just...dizziness," Hwanhee breathed shakily.

"Are you alright?" Dongyeol asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it'll pass," Hwanhee replied.

"I should take you home, you look really tired."

Hwanhee hated to be seen as a weak person in front of Dongyeol.

"Dongyeol, take him home," Wooseok said with a tiny hint of worry. He had been observing them all these while.

"Come on, hyung," Dongyeol said and pushed Hwanhee gently to the door.

Hwanhee sighed after waving good bye to Wooseok. The two walked side-by-side to the nearest bus stop. The walk was quiet. Hwanhee was thinking again. When they reached, Dongyeol did not leave. They just sat there at the empty bus stop and Hwanhee stared at the empty road ahead of them. There was not a single sound except from the crickets and some cars that past by them. The lights hanging above them flickered for a moment before Dongyeol broke the deafening silence between them.

"I've been thinking about what you said at the animal shelter."

"What about it?" Hwanhee asked, turning to look at him.

"It's really weird for you not to be studying in a university right now, judging from how competitive Korea is. And that aside, you aren't even working at all." Dongyeol looked up at him, "What are you really doing?"

His eyes were stern, as if burning through holes into Hwanhee's. Hwanhee avoided his gaze. That was a difficult question and he thought long and hard.

"You're hiding something from me again, aren't you? I can already tell that by now," Dongyeol placed a hand on Hwanhee's.

"Well, let's just say that volunteering at the animal shelter would be my last job."

Dongyeol widened his eyes, "No way! What do you mean?"

"I'm living on borrowed time," Hwanhee looked up at Dongyeol's eyes which were still as beautiful as before. He hoped that the latter had gotten the idea.

"Are you telling me that the cancer returned?"

Hwanhee nodded regrettably as Dongyeol had that same worried expression plastered on his face when he first discovered this illness three years ago. And he still hated it.

"Are you...folding paper cranes again?" Dongyeol asked a little hopefully.

"It doesn't work anymore, Dongyeol. I'm on palliative care," Hwanhee sighed.

"Oh." Dongyeol did not speak another word after that and just sighed too.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you."

"Nonsense," Hwanhee chuckled, "Pancreatic cancer is rather tricky."

"Can we still contact each other? I really want to make it up to you. Until you..." Dongyeol debated whether he should continue.

"That would be nice. As usual, Minsoo hyung doesn't come home often," Hwanhee sighed.

The bus drove up and the two got in. There were only the two of them in the bus other than the driver. Hwanhee sat on the same window seat that he had loved all his life and Dongyeol would always be right beside him. There were a million thoughts running through Dongyeol's mind as the bus ran across the empty road. How long do Hwanhee have left? What can he do? Is there a way to save him? Dongyeol looked up at Hwanhee's side view. Now that he was observing him up close, he realised that the older man had lost weight. He looked away and fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. There seemed to be nothing he could do for Hwanhee now.

Sometimes, Hwanhee regretted telling Dongyeol the truth because of all the burden that he had got him to carry. But he would hurt Dongyeol no matter what his choice was. To die without Dongyeol or to die with Dongyeol, either would just hurt the latter anyways. They bid goodbye outside the same apartment Dongyeol had went to many times. Hwanhee closed the door and backfaced it. A tired Minsoo walked out from his bedroom, rubbing his eyes, not an uncommon sight for Hwanhee.

"You're finally back home," he said.

Hwanhee slid down the door and hugged his legs. Minsoo hurried over, he feared about anything at this point of time. But when he heard sobbings coming from the young man, he relaxed a little, and hugged Hwanhee tightly without saying a single word.

 

  
Back when they were in high school, one of Dongyeol's dream was to play in the arcade with Hwanhee. They only went once and it ended with Dongyeol crying over how he could not win Hwanhee everytime. On a particular Sunday, not too far from the start of Autumn, Dongyeol rang Hwanhee up to ask him out. Of course, Wooseok followed along. It had been a very long time since the two had hung out together outside. There were many things that they wanted to do for each other, yet time was not on their side.

The first thing that Dongyeol did when he saw Hwanhee approaching the mall was to pull him into the only game arcade in the place. Wooseok trailed behind, not saying a word, as if protecting over the two from behind. Car racing was something that Hwanhee was a professional in in the arcade. Back then, no matter how many times Dongyeol had lost when they competed against each other, the latter still insisted to continue until their money ran out. Today, Dongyeol wanted to compete with Hwanhee again one last time.

Wooseok took a seat beside Dongyeol's and watched them. With their hands on the wheel and the countdown of the time, Hwanhee and Dongyeol started the game. Due to the two not playing for a long time, their steering was a little wobbly. Dongyeol kept complaning and laughing whenever Hwanhee caught up with him. But Hwanhee slowed down a couple of times for Dongyeol to overtake him. Whenever the latter asked him why he was getting slower, Hwanhee would always laugh it off and answer that his skills had turned rusty. This time, their match ended with Dongyeol celebrating his success.

"We didn't get to play other games during our last visit to an arcade. Shall we playing something else too?" Dongyeol asked Hwanhee.

"Sounds great!" Hwanhee nodded.

"Let's head over to the air hockey table!" Dongyeol decided and hurried over to the only set available for the game.

He inserted the coins below and the red numbers on the screen flickered to zero. There was a steady humming sound and a red puck fell to Hwanhee's side. Hwanhee immediately started the game with Dongyeol's intense staring at the single puck. Both of them tried their very best to defend their goals. When Dongyeol played, he was the noisier one between the two. Whenever Hwanhee managed to score a point, Dongyeol would groan and complain about how he could never defeat Hwanhee at arcade games. Wooseok leaned against the wall near them and laughed softly at Dongyeol's adorable actions.

"Shall we try that Pump It Up?" Dongyeol pointed to the looming machine at the other end of the arcade after the game had ended. "We have enough coins for one round."

"Why don't you and Wooseok-sshi play too?" Hwanhee suggested. He knew that this single game would tire him out, and he did not want to ruin this day at all.

"Huh? But this day-out is for you!" Dongyeol pouted.

"The two of you are university students. Wooseok-sshi should also get a chance to relieve his stress too," Hwanhee reasoned and smiled at Wooseok.

"Just call me hyung," Wooseok said nonchalantly.

"Alright, let's head over then!" Dongyeol exclaimed and linked arms with Wooseok as they went.

Dongyeol inserted the last few coins and Wooseok allowed him to choose the difficulty and song. Dongyeol pondered as he scrolled through the vast selection of Korean pop songs. There were many songs from the group which Dongyeol loved. But he finally laughed when he selected one. Wooseok almost had a heart attack when Dongyeol had chosen the 'Hard' difficulty, as it was only his 2nd time playing this game. He sighed, he could sense his impending doom as he was not an active person. It was a heated game between the couple and Hwanhee enjoyed watching their fiery passion. The game had brought out Wooseok's true colours. Behind the cold image that Wooseok had put up everytime, he was actually a child at heart. Dongyeol's face was brightened up by not only the flashing lights from the screen, but also by the happiness he had gotten from playing with Wooseok. His laughter had also proven his love for the oldest man among them. At that moment, Hwanhee felt relieved that Dongyeol had found someone he loved. At least, when he would be gone, Dongyeol would not be too lonely.

After the tiring first stage, Wooseok begged Dongyeol to let him choose the difficulty and songs instead. Dongyeol laughed and jokingly told him to keep up with him if he still wants to be his boyfriend. The game ended with both Wooseok and Dongyeol getting off the dance platform clearly drenched in sweat. And Wooseok slouched over the safety bar, panting. Hwanhee chuckled at the scene.

"I'm worn out. Let's go get some ice cream!" Dongyeol said.

"My treat," Wooseok added in between breaths.

"Sure," Hwanhee smiled.

They exited the arcade with Dongyeol continuously recalling the moments from before. He swore to them that he would always keep these memories close to his heart. Despite Dongyeol's close friendship with Hwanhee, the latter wished that Dongyeol would forget about him after he-

"Oh my gosh! I want that cotton candy flavour!" Dongyeol's words brought Hwanhee back to reality.

Hwanhee turned to see the youngest in awe as he almost canted his entire body against the display case. They were at Baskin Robbins, a place which Dongyeol loved the most as he really enjoyed ice cream. Hwanhee knew of his fondness for ice cream since high school. The latter would always purchase one whenever they past by a convenience store. Dongyeol's likings and habits from young had not changed even though he had reached his adulthood, and Hwanhee enjoyed seeing the old Dongyeol he used to know.

"Then I'll get the Peanut Butter n' Chocolate," Wooseok said.

"How about you, hyung?" Dongyeol asked the other man who was still thinking of a flavour.

"Maybe...the Love Potion #31," Hwanhee decided.

"Love potion? Are you trying to fall in love?" Dongyeol chuckled.

Hwanhee laughed with him as Wooseok ordered and paid for the ice cream. They sat at the window seats, with Hwanhee sitting alone opposite the couple. Hwanhee ate his ice cream quietly as he stared out of the window. He had picked up this habit from staying at the hospital — to watch other people to kill time. It sounded creepy, but there was nothing else he could do other than sleeping his time away.

The three of them spent the remaining time to shop. The couple were putting on clothes on each other and Hwanhee was in charge of rating their chosen clothes. He was beginning to feel tired, so he felt grateful to be just sitting at the small sofa and waiting for the other two to change. In the end, none of them bought nothing, but they brought home valuble memories of being together. Strangely, Hwanhee felt the same warmth when he was out with the boys back in high school, but he enjoyed it. He wanted to enjoy spending time with Dongyeol while it last.

 

  
At 2am, back in the dark and quiet apartment, Hwanhee jostled awake from his sleep by a sharp pain in his stomach. He mentally cursed as he stumbed out of the bed and outside his bedroom. He past by Minsoo's bedroom which was just opposite of his. His little trip to the kitchen was wobbly as he grabbed onto any walls and door frames along the way to support himself. Once he reached the counter, he searched the drawers for his pills. He popped in two and poured a cup of water to drink shakily. He slid down the counter and landed on the floor with a loud thud. He hugged his stomach as he tried to steady his breathing. It was not uncommon for him to be jostled awake at night. But he panicked when the pain did not seemed to subside even just a little. He groaned in pain and brought his knees close to his chest. It was excruciating.

Minsoo awoke too as he heard sounds outside. He rubbed his eyes and shuffled out of the door. He found Hwanhee's bedroom door opened, and the blanket laid unevenly between the bed and floor. Although sometimes Hwanhee might just be getting a drink, Minsoo would always check on him. Just in case. And when he reached the kitchen, he was not expecting to be seeing a dark lump on the floor. He switched on the lights and hurried over. He briefly saw the mess of pills on the counter as he past by.

"Hwan-ah?" He called out and squatted down to his eye level.

Hwanhee was breathing hard, and sweat was pooling all over his forehead. He looked up at him but his visions were blurry.

"What's wrong?" Minsoo urged.

"It hurts," Hwanhee breathed out and closed his eyes.

"Hwan-ah? Hwan-ah?"

 

  
His phone's screen changed from the dial to his home page. 3 missed calls from Dongyeol. Hwanhee placed his phone on the bedside table and sighed. He was back in the hospital again, but this time, there was no going back home. Minsoo had painfully predicted that Hwanhee might not make it for long. And so, the latter decided to just stay here. Hwanhee's phone buzzed again but he did not move.

"Are you not going to pick up his call?" Minsoo asked. Hwanhee shook his head and the doctor sighed, "He would still find out sooner or later."

Hwanhee remained silent and stared at the two squirrels climbing up the tree just outside the window.

"Alright, I will come by again to check on you later," Minsoo said and turned to leave the ward.

It have been two days since he was admitted and Dongyeol had been trying to contact him. The former did not want Dongyeol to know about this truth. He might be acting selfish right now to be leaving Dongyeol alone out of his own fear, but he did not know what to do.

 

  
"He hasn't picked up yet?" Wooseok asked, lowering the newspapers in his hands and noticing Dongyeol's troubled expression.

Dongyeol shook his head, "It's as if he's avoiding me all of a sudden."

"Why don't you visit him at the animal shelter?" Wooseok suggested.

"Oh right! I should," Dongyeol nodded.

"Why are you looking for him anyways?"

Dongyeol worried for Hwanhee everyday back in high school, even after that fateful moment when the latter miraculously lived again. He wanted to explain but realised that he had not told Wooseok about anything yet.

"His cancer returned."

"What?" Wooseok sat up straight.

"He told me about it at the bus stop that night. That's why I want to check on him. I..." Dongyeol paused and breathed, "I don't want to be left in the dark and then finding him after it was all too late."

"How about that doctor? Can you ask him about Hwanhee?"

"I shouldn't bother him at this hour," Dongyeol frowned. "But I'll pop into the animal shelter to see if Hwanhee hyung's alright."

"Do you want me to come along?" Wooseok asked.

Dongyeol shook his head, "Nope, it's fine. You are going to study for a test, aren't you?"

"Alright," Wooseok nodded.

Dongyeol always knew that Hwanhee was the type of person to keep a lot of secrets, especially about how he feels. Sometimes, he despised Hwanhee's hesitancy because it meant knowing the truth too late, and Dongyeol might not be able to do anything to help. And because of Hwanhee's illness, Dongyeol was even more upset about this. The trip to the animal shelter was agonizing as he did not know why Hwanhee had not been answering his phone calls. Anything could had happened. Anything could had happened to Hwanhee. Anything could...

"What do you mean he is not here?" He asked in disbelief.

The female staff behind the counter calmly explained, "It was his last day of volunteering yesterday. It was too sudden."

"Did he explain why?"

She shook his head, "No, he didn't."

"I see, thank you so much," Dongyeol bowed.

This was bad. Hwanhee hyung had disappeared, Dongyeol thought. He decided to visit the apartment, and maybe, just maybe, Hwanhee would be there. He was growing anxious, more than earlier. Something must had happened for Hwanhee to suddenly leave the animal shelter like that. And he was even more panicky when no one answered the door after he had knocked numerous times. He fished out his phone and opened his contacts. But his thumb hovered over Hwanhee's name. Calling Hwanhee might not be smart now. At least, if something did happened, the only person who would tell him the truth was Minsoo. After some seconds of waiting, Minsoo finally picked up and Dongyeol felt apologetic.

"I'm so sorry to call you at this hour, hyung."

"That's alright. What is it?"

"Hwanhee hyung hasn't been answering my calls. Did something happen?"

There was a pause on the other side of the line and Dongyeol immediately realised there was something.

"He's..." Minsoo stopped again.

"Please tell me! I want to know if he's alright!"

There was, again, another pause, as if Minsoo was relaying the message to someone else, probably Hwanhee.

"Hwanhee's in the hospital right now. I can explain everything when you come over."

"What?" Dongyeol yelled, "I'm on my way!"

They hung up. Minsoo kept his phone in his coat pocket and glanced at Hwanhee. The 21-year-old was still facing the window. He had not talked much ever since he came in, Minsoo did not know how he could keep Hwanhee happy.

"Dongyeol is coming over right now," he told him. Still seeing no reply from the other man, he continued, "As usual, I'll come by to check on you again. I'll see you later, Hwan-ah." Minsoo closed the door behind him and sighed.

 

  
Dongyeol sat on the chair in front of the window, staring at the funny little computer inside a transparent casing. A syringe was connected on the top, and the rubbing tubing stretched and disappeared under Hwanhee's shirt. He stared at the numbers on the screen that indicated a countdown of 24 hours and a rate of 0.75ml/h. It was fascinating, yet scary, that Hwanhee had many things hooked onto him during these years. Hwanhee caught Dongyeol staring and looked at it too.

"It's a syringe driver," he said.

"Minsoo hyung explained it to me," Dongyeol nodded. "Can you walk around with it?"

"There's a bag to contain it but it's a little too flowery for my taste," Hwanhee answered and motioned to the bed side table beside Dongyeol.

At that, Dongyeol opened the cabinet and took out a royal-blue-coloured fabric sling bag. He held it up to observe the design.

"Well, I think it's beautiful!" He exclaimed.

"Really? You think so?" Hwanhee asked.

"The colour isn't too bright, and it does look good on you," Dongyeol smiled.

"I could had suggested to have a pink one," Hwanhee joked. "Thanks, Dongyeol-ah."

"After all these years, you still love the colour pink," Dongyeol chuckled.

"Even the thousandth paper crane is pink, I like it."

"Where did you put them?"

"The corked bottle is still on my desk. I still look at it everyday when I'm at home."

Dongyeol could never forget the moment when Minsoo pointed out that Hwanhee's fingers had moved. Subsequently, Minsoo stated that the medications were working and they were finally seeing progress. Dongyeol and the other boys left the ward to allow the staffs to carry out their work to get Hwanhee under control. And for the first time in forever, Dongyeol cried, not because of sadness, but because he could see Hwanhee up and about again for the next few years. But maybe, what Hwanhee had told him was right, that old folk tales did not work all the time.

"Do you want to visit the children?" Hwanhee asked.

"Yes!" Dongyeol's face immediately lit up.

After some minutes of figuring out how to use the syringe driver bag, they finally set off to the Children's Ward. With Hwanhee leading Dongyeol through the maze of corridors and some staffs greeting him along the way, Dongyeol comprehanded that Hwanhee had frequented the hospital numerous time.

"There is a boy I would like you to meet. When I came here a few weeks ago, he was first admitted," Hwanhee said as they exited the lift to the 2nd level.

"What is his name?" Dongyeol asked.

"Gyujin. He has leukemia," Hwanhee explained.

"I see," Dongyeol nodded understandingly.

"We're here."

Hwanhee motioned to the two large swinging doors in front of them. The doors were decorated with colourful cut-out words that spelt 'Children's Ward'. There were also some pictures of balloons and toys around the words.

"Pretty!" Dongyeol exclaimed.

Hwanhee pushed open the door and greeted the lady sitting behind the reception desk.

"Hello Hwanhee! Visiting the children again?" The lady asked.

Hwanhee nodded, "Yes! I'm here to introduce them to my best friend." At that, Dongyeol smiled and bowed at her.

"That's really nice! Go on then," the lady smiled.

Hwanhee continued leading Dongyeol through the corridors and past doors after doors. Until, they finally heard faint laughters and they went into a room. It was the playroom and many children, big or small, were in here. The biggest, Dongyeol figured, was maybe around 16 years old, and the boy was playing a video game with another younger one. The moment the children saw Hwanhee, they dropped whatever they were doing and rushed over, even the oldest boy approached them with a more matured manner than the younger ones.

"Hyung!"

"Oppa!"

The children competed to hugged him and Hwanhee laughed with pure joy. Dongyeol felt a warm feeling and smiled as he watched them.

"Everyone, I want you to meet my best friend, Dongyeol," Hwanhee introduced, motioning to the said person.

"Dongyeol-sshi! Are you the same man that Hwanhee oppa always told us about?" A little girl asked.

"I guess so," Dongyeol smiled.

"You look really pretty!" The girl exclaimed.

"Thank you!" Dongyeol laughed.

Admist the commotion, Dongyeol caught Hwanhee staring at a particular boy, maybe around 5 years old, who was still sitting beside the table full of toys. The boy was observing them from afar, as if cautious of the new stranger.

"That's Gyujin," Hwanhee told him and went over.

Dongyeol followed him and they sat down close to Gyujin. The latter looked up at Dongyeol with fearful eyes.

"Gyujin-ah, this is Dongyeol. He is a really kind man and helped me many times," Hwanhee told him.

"Hello Gyujin, I am Dongyeol. It is nice to meet you," Dongyeol smiled gently, reaching out his hand for Gyujin to shake.

Gyujin looked at Hwanhee and the latter nodded to give some security, then he shook Dongyeol's hand quickly and retreated back to the corner.

"He is shy and only opens up to me and some other kids that he made friends with, apparently," Hwanhee told Dongyeol.

"During our first year of high school, you were also really shy," Dongyeol said, remembering the good old days.

"I am still closest to you though," Hwanhee smiled.

Gyujin placed a teddy bear on Dongyeol's lap and attacked it using a rabbit plush in his hands.

"He wants you to play with him," Hwanhee told the other man.

"Ah!" Dongyeol smiled and held up the teddy bear. Play mode on.

Hwanhee watched them silently as Gyujin began to get used to Dongyeol. Gyujin started laughing along with the latter as the two progressed to playing more games. The same little girl came over in the middle of their playtime.

"Gyujin-ah! We are going to play marbles, do you want to join us?" The girl invited.

"Go on, Gyujin," Hwanhee encouraged.

Gyujin nodded and stood up to follow the girl to the group of children who sat in a circle in the middle of the playroom.

"Are those his friends?" Dongyeol asked Hwanhee.

"Yes. He is close to them other than me," Hwanhee replied.

"Gyujin seems like a good kid, it is sad that his childhood involves staying in the hospital for a while," Dongyeol said.

Hwanhee hummed in reply. They began to keep the toys on the floor that were left by Gyujin. Hwanhee's hand that was reaching for the teddy bear froze mid-way and he let it down again.

"Hyung?" Dongyeol stopped too and looked at him.

There was a clear indication of pain on Hwanhee's face and Dongyeol opened his mouth to speak again. But the latter placed a finger on his lips and stood up to leave the playroom. Dongyeol followed, remembering to greet the playroom specialists as they left. They went to a quiet corridor and Hwanhee sat against the wall, breathing hard.

"Shall I get Minsoo hyung?" Dongyeol asked quickly.

Hwanhee shook his head and patted on the space beside him, "Just stay here with me."

"You sure?" Dongyeol asked, still not convinced.

"Distraction also helps. Relax, alright?" Hwanhee laughed a little at the end.

"Fine," Dongyeol nodded and sat beside him.

"I don't want to scare the kids," Hwanhee breathed, "especially Gyujin."

"Do you come out here everytime this happens?" Dongyeol asked.

Hwanhee nodded in reply. "Gyujin...He is a lot like me." He changed the subject and Dongyeol continued to listen.

"He is also an orphan, both his parents died in an accident. He is an introvert, too shy to communicate with the other children. The nurses here wanted me to make friends with him since we share some similarities. So I did. I tried my best. I visit him whenever I am at the hospital. I also encouraged him to make friends with the other children. He can't rely on me. I can't be here forever," Hwanhee stopped.

"So what will you do when..."

"He has to forget about me someday," Hwanhee smiled sadly.

Dongyeol sighed, "It's really sad."

"That's why I feel apologetic to him everytime. I want to make him happy, yet more memories meant being harder to forget me."

"Many people don't want you gone, hyung. Including me."

"Well, what can I do? Cancer sucks. Treatment is no longer possible and prolonging my life would not be working soon. I am preparing for my death," Hwanhee sighed. "That's why I ignored your calls. I really don't want you to see me like this."

"Hey, that's okay. I promised to stay with you, I won't just leave you in the middle of all this."

"That's the problem, Dongyeol. You can't move on when I'm dead if you're like this."

"Hyung..." Dongyeol sighed.

"However, you still have Wooseok hyung. He is a really nice man. I'm sure you'll live happily with him."

"Yes, he is. We plan to get married some time after we graduate from university."

"Wow, look at you! Already planning for the future. That's really great to know," Hwanhee smiled.

But it's a future without you in it, Dongyeol thought sadly as he looked up at Hwanhee's side profile.

 

  
Dongyeol could not visit for the next few days because of school, and Hwanhee understood. Even so, Dongyeol would call Hwanhee in the evening and hope that the latter would be able to pick up. Hwanhee was detoriating each day. Sometimes, he would pick up the phone calls, but their conversations did not last as Hwanhee would fall asleep of a sudden. Whenever the dial tone lasted too long, Dongyeol would recieve a message from Hwanhee the next morning, with it saying that he was sorry and he was asleep. Once, Dongyeol called the latter at around 3pm, yet had gotten nothing from the other line. He frowned, not because of disappointment, but because time was running out.

 

  
Their days spent together involved sitting on a bench in the hospital garden. They would either be chatting about high school, about the last three years, or just watching the birds in silence. They stayed until Hwanhee fell asleep on Dongyeol's shoulder, and that was when the latter would spend the time to absorb whatever that had happened. During some days, Hwanhee would sleep during the entire time Dongyeol was there. The latter would sit by his bed and talk to him about his day, because Minsoo mentioned that although Hwanhee might be unconscious, he could still hear him. It was just like what Hwanhee had joked before, the sleep was kicking in, and Dongyeol wished that they could have more time.

 

  
When Dongyeol knocked on the door of the ward one afternoon, he recieved no replies from inside. He pushed it open slowly, only to see Hwanhee lying on the bed, back-facing the door. He held Minsoo's words tightly in his mind as he approached the older male. Hwanhee was asleep — or so Dongyeol had thought. The former was speaking, eyes fixated at the spot beside the bedside table, as if looking at someone. But there was no one else in the room other than the two of them. Dongyeol settled down on the sofa that was moved close to the window and watched him with a mix of amazement and uneasiness. Hwanhee 'woke up' almost instantly.

"Oh, Dongyeol. I was just chatting with my mom," Hwanhee sounded a little delirious.

Dongyeol was not surprised. Minsoo had told him earlier that it was normal for dying patients to see their dead loved ones as they neared the end of life.

"I just came from school," he nodded.

"She said that you are a really good person," Hwanhee continued.

"Tell her I said 'thank you'," Dongyeol followed the flow.

Hwanhee hummed in reply, "I will."

He was quiet for a while and closed his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep. The room was silent except for Hwanhee's rattling breaths. Dongyeol felt that he had learned many things ever since he knew the truth that year. Every day was something new because Hwanhee could exhibit new symptoms. And everytime he came, Minsoo would report to him everything about Hwanhee and what he might expect. Sometimes, Dongyeol was afraid of what changes he might witness. Today, he witnessed something new, and that would not be uncommon for the next few days. Hwanhee opened his eyes again, but this time, he looked more alert.

"How's Ireumi?" He asked out of the blue.

"She's happy. Wooseok hyung's family takes care of her whenever we are not at home."

"That's great. Remember all the medical check-ups she needs and be aware of any signs of infections," Hwanhee said. "Can you bring her here?"

"Are pets allowed in the hospital?" Dongyeol asked.

Hwanhee placed a finger on his lips slowly and smiled, "Minsoo hyung won't say a thing."

Dongyeol smiled, "I'll be quick."

Hwanhee nodded and Dongyeol left the ward. He wanted to run. Run to get Ireumi and run to get back to Hwanhee. Because every second he wasted felt like every opportunity he had missed with Hwanhee. And Dongyeol wanted nothing but time. It was a race. Time is an indefinite progress of existence that occurs in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future. Time slips away when one desperately needed it. Dongyeol panted as he reached his apartment. He unlocked the door. Wooseok was especially surprised to see him back so soon. Dongyeol breifly explained his purpose. He rushed out again. With the black and white cat in a small carrier bag. And there he went. Running. Running. Running. And he reached the ward once again. Hwanhee was still slumped on the bed. He kept his eyes closed. Dongyeol shook Hwanhee gently. His heart pounded repeatedly against his chest. He feared. Ireumi meowed. She scratched against the bag. Wanting to get out. Dongyeol quickly opened the bag. Ireumi jumped onto the white bed. She meowed again. Hwanhee moved. Finally, Dongyeol felt an instant relief and sat down on the sofa. He was still alive. He was not gone.

"Ireumi!" Hwanhee exclaimed and Ireumi cuddled against him. He then looked up at Dongyeol. "You are sweating a lot, did you ran?"

Dongyeol nodded sheepishly.

"You silly boy," Hwanhee chuckled.

"I was really worried because what if...what if..." Dongyeol was about to tear up.

"That I would leave without you with me? I won't," Hwanhee laid on his back with much difficulty and the rattling grew a little noiser. "We still have unfinished business." He sighed.

"What is it?" Dongyeol asked as he elevated the head of the bed.

"Earlier, my mom came again. She wanted me to continue spending the remaining time with you."

"I would love that, hyung."

Minsoo walked by just then, and stopped outside the door. He peered in, wondering if he should enter. Dongyeol caught sight of him and looked at him frightfully. Minsoo seemed to understand and opened the door. He saw the black and white cat curled on the bed but stayed silent.

"Minsoo hyung," Hwanhee smiled.

"It is my lunch break right now. I wanted to come by," Minsoo explained.

"That's nice. Mom really likes Minsoo hyung too. She wants to thank you for taking care of me. And I want to thank you too, hyung."

"Of course, Hwan-ah," Minsoo said.

Dongyeol shifted uneasily in his seat and held Hwanhee's cold hands.

"Dongyeol, do you remember the time we first fought?" Hwanhee asked the said person.

"Of course. It was really heartbreaking," Dongyeol nodded.

"We fought over something so insignificant, sometimes I laugh at how naive we were," Hwanhee smiled.

"But we grew from there. We understood each other and we became closer."

"Even till now..."

Ireumi stood up and walked over to cuddle against Hwanhee while meowing again. The latter smiled at the cat and stroked her fur. Dongyeol did not like where this was going.

"Even when you went through so much just to save me. Even when I am lying here, weak and dying. You've always stayed," Hwanhee continued as he looked back up at Dongyeol again.

"It's what I can do for you, hyung," Dongyeol said, fighting back tears.

"I'll pay you back in the next life," Hwanhee gave a weak laugh. "Thank you, Dongyeol-ah..."

At that, he took one last deep breath and closed his eyes, his last tear escaped. For once, he looked really peaceful. Dongyeol bursted out in tears and hugged Hwanhee's limp body. Minsoo started crying too. All the controlled emotions from the past five years were finally released at once. Ireumi, seemingly undisturbed by the departure, walked over to Dongyeol and rubbed herself against his face. Dongyeol stopped for a moment to look at the black and white cat. It was as if Ireumi was trying to comfort him. Dongyeol stroked her fur and she licked his hand with pure affection.

"Hadn't you said before that Ireumi is like Hwan-ah?" Minsoo asked him.

Ireumi jumped up onto Dongyeol's shoulder and licked his ears. He smiled a little and nodded.

 

Maybe, the thousand paper cranes had worked.

 

Maybe, Hwanhee's wish _was_ granted after all.

 

 

 

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

In this sequel, the second half of the fanfic focuses more on Hwanhee's interaction with Dongyeol as he neared his end-of-life. Everyone's end-of-life experiences can differ and I only chose a few common symptoms. These includes: hard-to-control pain, withdrawal, fatigue, seeing/communicating with deceased loved ones, weakness and Death Rattle. Through the many days of research, I was able to understand more about cancer and death. And I hope that everyone who are battling with cancer or know someone is battling with cancer would stay strong and get well!


	3. Christmas Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dongyeol could still hear the laughters and visualise the Christmas lights as if that day was just yesterday. It was hard to forget someone who had gave you so much to remember. But he would not let that pull him down, Hwanhee would have hated to see that happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Special chapter for Till Death Do Us Apart! This chapter features how Dongyeol spends his Christmas with Hwanhee and Wooseok respectively.

**NOTE: The time of this story starts in between the 612nd and 699th paper cranes of Till Death Do Us Apart.**

 

 

_"I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart..."_

Christmas songs blasted through the mall as Dongyeol and Hwanhee strolled. Much of their Winter break had gone by, and Hwanhee had finally gotten rid of the drainage bag and the chores that followed. Hwanhee felt free for a brief moment even when things were crashing down inside of him every seconds. Dongyeol swore to make this year's Christmas a good one for Hwanhee, even if it meant his last. And so, the duo are out today to do shopping the day before Christmas.

"There is a Christmas tree at your house, right?" Dongyeol asked the other.

"Yep," Hwanhee nodded.

"Then, do you wish to buy new decorations for it?"

"Minsoo hyung and I actually don't celebrate Christmas often...so yes."

Dongyeol stopped in his tracks and looked back at the older as if he had said something despicable.

"You don't?!" He shrieked.

Hwanhee rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Minsoo hyung often doesn't have the time to celebrate with me."

"Then you should have called me over!"

"Well," Hwanhee sighed, "I can't cause you to spend lesser time with your parents."

"I can make do! How can you not celebrate such a happy day? Come! Let's go shopping!" Dongyeol pulled the other's scrawny arm and stomped into the nearest decor store.

There was a huge variety of decorations to choose from, but Hwanhee was inexperienced. So Dongyeol took the lead to bring him around to choose the prettiest items to hang on the tree. To make the best Christmas for Hwanhee was Dongyeol's only mission for these two days. Hwanhee only smiled throughout the whole time as he watched Dongyeol placed more and more items into the shopping basket. The latter also kept on rambling about the times he had spent during Christmas for the past few years, making Hwanhee really glad that his best friend was having a few of the best times of his life. When the shopping basket got too heavy for Hwanhee, Dongyeol did not hesitate to take over the job.

Their shopping for Christmas decoration ended with a huge plastic bag in Dongyeol's hand. They then decided to buy gifts for their friends, and especially for each other. The nearest suitable store was a gift shop just right beside the one they had left.

"So...We are in charge of buying presents for Jinwook hyung and Sungjoon hyung. What do you think Jinwook hyung would like?" Dongyeol asked.

"All he ever does is drink coke," Hwanhee chuckled.

"We can't possibly just get him a bottle, hyung," Dongyeol laughed.

"Isn't there a polar bear wearing a Coca-Cola scarf as a free gift when we buy some?" Hwanhee asked.

"Oh right, we saw it in the supermarket earlier. We could give him the polar bear and have the coke to ourselves...Though, can you drink coke?"

"Not really."

"Then I can have it."

Hwanhee raised an eyebrow. "There's six per pack, are you sure you want to drink all that in a day?"

"I won't drink them alone! Minsoo hyung will be there too, won't he?"

"That depends on how busy he is at the hospital," Hwanhee sighed.

"I hope he can make it this year," Dongyeol pouted.

"Alright, no pouting! Let's continue searching for gifts," Hwanhee smiled, patting Dongyeol's soft hair.

"Okay!" Dongyeol exclaimed and walked on.

As they strolled to the aisle displaying accessories, Hwanhee caught sight of a necklace that hung an icecream cone and a puppy. All of their friends knew how Dongyeol would go crazy over icecream everytime, just like how Jinwook loved coke. Hwanhee smiled to himself, looked up at Dongyeol to check if he was looking, and took one of it off the shelf.

"Wow, they really sell a lot of stuffs here!" Dongyeol eyed all the aisles once again, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the extensive choices.

"Why don't we get one of those travel pillows for Sungjoon? He's travelling to Japan after Christmas, right?" Hwanhee asked, pointing to the shelf in a corner.

"That's right. Let's get one!" Dongyeol said and skipped towards the shelf.

Hwanhee smiled to himself again as he watched Dongyeol pick out the best presents for their friends. He was growing tired though, but he did not want to spoil the fun that Dongyeol was having. In the end, they managed to buy presents for the people in their list, even for Minsoo. It was already close to 5pm when they left the supermarket. Other than Jinwook's present, they also got some party snacks and drinks. Hwanhee wondered if Dongyeol was buying a bit too much for three people.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

In the next evening, the walls of Minsoo's apartment was already decorated by the doctor himself. He had managed to get a day off today after Dongyeol begged him a little. He did not get angry, in fact, he really wanted to spend the festive holiday with them too. The door bell rang and Minsoo immediately got up to open it. It was Dongyeol who had came early.

"Hello Minsoo hyung! Merry Christmas!" Dongyeol exclaimed.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Dongyeol-ah!" Minsoo smiled.

"Where is Hwanhee hyung?" Dongyeol asked, looking around the house.

"He's sleeping. And you two are lucky because I don't have duties today," Minsoo ruffled Dongyeol's hair.

"That's great! Hwanhee hyung would be happy!"

"I've decorated the house and the Christmas tree a bit. You and Hwanhee can do the rest while I cook. Your other friends are coming at 6pm, right?"

"Yep!" Dongyeol nodded.

"Go on now, have fun with the decorations."

"Thank you hyung!" Dongyeol said and went over to Hwanhee's bedroom.

Sure enough, Hwanhee was sound asleep on his bed. Dongyeol then caught sight of the glass corked bottle standing on the desk. It was not filled to the brim yet, and they did not fold any for the past few days. Dongyeol wondered if they would have enough time. He sat on the chair and stared at the sleeping figure. Today might be Hwanhee's last Christmas, or the last Christmas the two were able to celebrate together. But nevertheless, Dongyeol wanted to make it extra special for him. Hwanhee then stirred and opened his eyes.

"Oh, Dongyeol..." He mumbled as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Merry Christmas, hyung!" Dongyeol smiled.

"Merry Christmas!" Hwanhee sat up slowly and spotted the plastic bag in Dongyeol's hand. "I can't wait for the party." He smiled.

"Me too!" Dongyeol chirped and stood up. "Shall we finish decorating the tree?"

Hwanhee nodded, "Sure!"

The top half of the Christmas Tree was already decorated thanks to Minsoo, leaving the bottom for the two boys. Hwanhee sat on the floor, rummaging through the plastic bag as Dongyeol took the job to hang the decorations. At around 6pm, they were done. Wrapped presents were set below the tree, all waiting to be opened. The door bell rang just in time.

"Who else are coming?" Hwanhee asked, puzzled.

"The guys, of course! I called them over!" Dongyeol grinned.

"You didn't tell them about it...right?" Hwanhee asked, just to be sure.

"Don't worry. They don't know," Dongyeol assured.

With that, Dongyeol went to welcome the others. The house was soon filled with chatters as their friends came in. They were all bundled up in winter coats, except for Yein who was dressed as a reindeer.

"Merry Christmas!" They sang in unison.

"Merry Christmas! What is this?" Dongyeol asked, laughing at the funny get-up.

"I lost a bet," Yein pouted.

"We decided that it'll be funny if one of us dressed up for this occasion," Jinwook explained as he laughed, remembering the game of rock-paper-scissors that they had played this morning.

"Whose costume is this then?" Hwanhee asked.

Sungjoon raised his hand. "Mine! And I have a lot more at home!"

"Ah, that's right. You really love to dress up in funny costumes," Hwanhee smiled.

"Wow, Hwanhee hyung's house is really cosy!" Sooil said, looking around. The ceiling light gave the whole living room a warm yellow tint, Christmas decorations lined on the walls, the colours effectively complimenting the beige-coloured walls.

"Where is Minsoo hyung?" Jinwook asked.

"Right here!" Minsoo's voice sounded as he carried a plate of Christmas Cake out from the kitchen.

"Food!" Changhyun cheered and rushed over to the dinning table.

The eight of them sat round the dinning table that was specially extended to fit all of them. There was a wide spread of food laid out, plus soft drinks at one corner. Hwanhee noticed the five bottles of coke and found one of them already in Jinwook's hands. He smiled to himself. Their class president sure loved this drink. Their Christmas dinner was filled with jokes and memories about their past Christmas parties, together with laughters and new memories formed.

After the dinner, the boys gathered in the living room to start opening the presents. They sat in a circle, with gift boxes scattered in front of them. They checked the names on the boxes and passed them around, until all of the presents were with their right owners. With a count of three from Jinwook, the boys started opening their presents.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Sungjoon shrieked as he held the video game in his hand. "This is the latest Pokémon game!"

"Woah! Who bought this?" Dongyeol asked, eyes sparkling.

"We did," Sooil grinned as he placed a hand on Jinwook's shoulder.

"Ehhhhhh?" Everyone yelled in unison.

"Ah, if you two are a couple, you spend lesser money on gifts, isn't that so?" Yein asked and Sooil nodded.

"Then do we just give you two only one gift?" Dongyeol asked.

Jinwook shrugged, "I suppose?"

"I'm keeping Sooil's gift then!" Sungjoon grinned.

"Hey! Why?" Sooil frowned.

"You and Jinwook hyung can enjoy playing with the polar bear!" Dongyeol winked.

"That's not fair to me," Sooil sighed.

"Alright, let's not fight on Christmas," Jinwook laughed.

Dongyeol chuckled and then looked over to Hwanhee who sat beside him. "Hyung! Do you like your present?"

"I love the sweater's colour!" Hwanhee held up the cream-coloured sweater.

Dongyeol nodded, "Yep! Winter would get really cold soon. You have to keep warm."

"Thanks, Dongyeol-ah!" Hwanhee smiled and put it on.

"Ah, it looks pretty big on you," Dongyeol folded his arms and frowned.

"I guess I shrunk," Hwanhee mumbled. The atmosphere suddenly grew grim and the boys had no idea what had happened.

"Th-Then, Dongyeol, what did you get from Hwanhee hyung?" Jinwook broke the deafening silence.

"Oh right, I hadn't open it!" Dongyeol took over the small box that has his name on it.

"It's small. Probably a ring," Sungjoon joked.

"Hyung! We're not together!" Dongyeol yelled, earning a laugh from Sungjoon.

"Open it! I'm so curious!" Yein urged.

Dongyeol tore the wrapper and opened the box. The necklace glimmered as soon as he put his eyes on it.

"A necklace?" He asked and inspected the design.

"Icecream pendant? That's really nice," Jinwook said.

"The only boy I know who goes insane over icecream," Sungjoon cackled.

"And why a puppy, hyung?" Dongyeol asked Hwanhee.

"To represent a true and loyal friend," Hwanhee explained, smiling.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The boys chanted.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Dongyeol wailed.

"Talking about kissing..." Sungjoon digged around his bag and took out a sprig of mistletoe.

"Mistletoe?" Changhyun asked, and all of them knew where this was going.

"For the only couple among us!" Sungjoon exclaimed and stood up.

"Hyung! Why would you want us to do that here?" Jinwook blushed.

"We can't leave out the mistletoe when it's Christmas! Come on!" He held the the mistletoe over the two.

"This is embarrassing," Sooil face-palmed.

"There's no harm in kissing! I bet you two did it many times in private," Dongyeol gave his smuggest smirk.

"That's the point, Dongyeol-ah..." Jinwook sighed.

"Hey! My arm will grow tired!" Sungjoon complained.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The boys chanted once again.

"Well, I guess we can't escape," Sooil smiled.

"What? Wait! Wa-" Jinwook's sentence was cut out by Sooil's sudden attack on the lips.

The boys cheered and clapped as the couple before them had finally kissed under the mistletoe. The two then broke away, both blushing a deep shade of red.

"Now this is Christmas," Sungjoon smirked. Everyone laughed at Sungjoon's enthusiasm over the scene.

"Don't ask us to do this anymore!" Jinwook cried out, smacking him playfully.

"Soon enough, you two would be kissng in public even without us watching!" Sungjoon continued.

"Okay! Let's move on to the games now!" Sooil interrupted even though Sungjoon was still snickering over their shyness.

Dongyeol looked over to Hwanhee who was beginning to look rather tired. "Hwanhee hyung and I would pass. I'm getting tired."

"Already?" Yein asked.

"We did the decorations, you know!" Dongyeol reasoned. "We're going to the balcony and look at the stars! Romantic, isn't it?" He exclaimed next and Hwanhee chuckled in agreement.

"I guess we can make do with five people," Jinwook said. "Have fun!"

There were always two chairs on the balcony, ready for anyone to relax on, although both Minsoo and Hwanhee seldom enjoyed the scenary there. It was comfortable sitting on the reclined chairs. The sky was exceptionally clear tonight, and many stars were visible. Dongyeol was glad that they could spend a nice few minutes out here. He turned to see Hwanhee and noticed the latter pressing a finger to his lips.

"Nauseous?" He asked quietly.

"A little," Hwanhee breathed.

"You alright?" Dongyeol continued.

"Yeah. It happens."

The lack of emotions in Hwanhee's words was evident enough to show the downside of having this horrible illness. And no matter how much Dongyeol was able to do for him, there was no stopping the cancer from hurting him. As if his bestest friend in the world was slowly taken away from him day by day. Dongyeol sighed and focused on the stars shining many lightyears away from where they were.

"You really didn't have to do all these for me," Hwanhee said after a brief moment of silence.

"I want to. Because you deserve it."

"Thank you...But I won't be able to repay you though."

Dongyeol stopped for a moment. Hwanhee was right. He then relaxed against the chair.

"That's fine," he forced a smile, "I am enjoying this too."

Hwanhee returned the smile. "If only I didn't have cancer, I wonder how our lives would have been."

"You would still be the same Hwanhee we all love and care about."

"I am...such a burden to Minsoo hyung."

Dongyeol shot up from his seat and turned to face him. "What are you talking about?" He whispered harshly.

"Other than his hospital duties, he had to take care of me," Hwanhee tried to explain.

"This isn't your fault, hyung."

"It doesn't matter whose fault this is...I can't even stay awake after 8pm," he sighed and buried his head into his hands, "I'm such a mess on Christmas."

"It's just because of all the cancer and treatment."

"If we are bound to die soon enough, why would we waste the money to live longer," Hwanhee asked, voice muffled behind his hands.

It was not a question. Depression tended to follow along with the symptoms, and it was not the first time Dongyeol had listened to Hwanhee rambling on about things like this. But he would never stop trying to reassure Hwanhee about his worth to continue living.

"Because we treasure every moments we can spend with you, and we wish to be with you as long as we can. It hurts...but you are precious to us. Minsoo hyung, me, the other hyungs..."

"You know, this is why I think the necklace suits you. Thank you for today, Dongyeol. I had...fun..."

They grew silent once more and Dongyeol was sure that Hwanhee had fallen asleep. He turned to his left, watching Hwanhee's chest rise and fall in accordance to his slow breathing. He stayed for a while, and listened to the chatters behind them. If Hwanhee would have stayed awake a little while longer, Dongyeol would be able to tell him how much he meant to him.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

 

 

 

_"All I want for Christmas is you..."_

It was finally Christmas once again. The radio that stood in the apartment below Dongyeol's blasted the songs that had been playing for the past few days. Dongyeol stared out of the window, watching the snow fall from the sky. It was especially cold this year and he wondered if it would be alright to be outside. He heard the door clicked open and turned back to see Wooseok walking in.

"It's so cold outside," Wooseok mumbled, brushing the snow off his clothes.

"Do you still want to go out in this weather?" Dongyeol asked, frowning.

"Well, it's Christmas. And what's Christmas without a romantic date?" Wooseok smiled.

"You're right! Let's go then!"

It was indeed cold outside. In only a matter of a few nanoseconds, there was already mist coming out of their mouths. Every year, the two would go on a date during Christmas. At exactly 6pm, Wooseok would show up at Dongyeol's apartment so that they could go to the street nearby. Any cold had never stopped them from doing so.

Even though the Christmas decorations every year looked similar, Dongyeol could not stop but to feel awed by the pretty lights and sculptures. They walked through the streets lined with shops, each playing familiar Christmas tunes, with staffs wearing deer headbands, and Christmas Trees standing outside to welcome customers.

"Let's go into the department store," Dongyeol suggested, already pulling the other by the arm.

"Sure," Wooseok nodded.

It was even colder inside the mall. Even with the thick layers of clothings that Dongyeol was wearing, the sudden blow of cold air from the air-conditioner when they entered still made him shiver.

"Ahh this is such a cold Christmas," Dongyeol pouted.

"Shall we get some hot chocolate downstairs?" Wooseok proposed.

"Okay!" Dongyeol nodded a little too enthusiastically.

They made their way through the crowd to get down to the food section. During days like this, the malls had people packed like sardines. They finally squeezed through the horde and found a cafe. Luckily, there were the last two empty seats when they arrived. Dongyeol sat as Wooseok went ahead to order. The former rested his head on his hand and stared at the sea of people moving at slow speeds outside the comfort of the cozy cafe. Wooseok came back not long after, both hands carrying a cup of warm cocoa.

"Here you go," Wooseok sang a little as he placed one in front of Dongyeol.

Dongyeol took a sip and exclaimed, "Mmmm, delicious!"

Now that they had took off their scarfs, Wooseok noticed something sparkling from Dongyeol's neck. It was a necklace that Wooseok had never seen before.

"Dongyeol, what's that you're wearing?" He asked.

"Oh this?" Dongyeol held onto the pendant and smiled, "It was Hwanhee hyung's last Christmas gift to me. I found it when I was tidying up a little. I thought I had lost it."

"It's beautiful. And you really, really love icecream."

"Indeed," Dongyeol mumbled and sighed. "But it's too bad that he's no longer around."

Wooseok gave a sincere smile, "I'm sure he's enjoying Christmas in a way."

"I hope so," Dongyeol chuckled and took another sip.

"Aish, seriously," Wooseok tutted when he saw the line of whipped cream on the top of Dongyeol's mouth, staring guilelessly back at him.

"Why?" Dongyeol asked with his most innocent puppy eyes ever.

"You know that I can't resist," Wooseok sighed and stood up.

"Why??" Dongyeol repeated as Wooseok leaned in.

The latter gave no replies and kissed him on the lips, taking the whipped cream with him.

"Hey, we're not filming a drama here!" Dongyeol blushed a deep shade of red, covering his mouth in response.

"Next time, don't ask for whipped cream," Wooseok laughed as he sat back down.

"I'll take that as a compliment that I'm irresistable," Dongyeol smirked.

"And you are!" Wooseok smiled.

They stayed for another few minutes until all of their hot chocolate were gone, and they set off into the crowd again. The heat of the crowd was starting to get them though, and they decided to just leave. At least, they had gotten quite warmed up in the cafe. There was a more Christmas-y feeling outside on the streets. The stage near the mall was already set up and carollers were singing.

"Oh! Look at those decorations!" Dongyeol pointed out.

There was a row of sculptures ahead of them — A Santa Claus was sitting inside his sleigh with cute reindeers all around him. A huge Christmas Tree loomed over them. Many people were crowded around to take pictures.

"Shall we take a selfie there?" Dongyeol asked.

"Okay," Wooseok nodded in agreement.

They waited for a couple in front of them to finish their photo-taking. Dongyeol smiled at how the two were bickering playfully about the right angle and filters. Then, Dongyeol and Wooseok had their turn. Dongyeol was the king of selfies, and of course, he could pull off a really good picture no matter what

"I'm posting this on my Instagram!" Dongyeol exclaimed after putting a Christmas theme filter.

"I'll be the first to like it," Wooseok said, already on stand-by.

"Sent!" Dongyeol beamed.

Wooseok smiled at the selfie. They often took many photos of their dates, and Dongyeol was in-charge of choosing the right ones to post and making them beautiful. He had never failed to produce something amazing, his feed was absolutely gorgeous.

"Are we going to eat dinner at a restaurant?" Dongyeol asked.

Wooseok shooked his head, "Nope, not this year. We'll do something a little more special."

"What is it?" Dongyeol's face looked ready to take in the surprise.

"I'll cook for us," Wooseok revealed.

"You will cook?! I've never seen you do that! I wonder if they'll be edible," Dongyeol laughed.

"Are you underestimating my cooking skills?" Wooseok frowned.

"No! I'm looking forward to it!" Dongyeol gave a quick peck on his cheek.

"Let's get home now then!"

It was an eye-opener for Dongyeol to see Wooseok in the kitchen with a sole purpose — cooking. He stared at him work through some online recipes, sometimes asking him for help. But nonetheless, Wooseok managed to whip up a feast. The small dining table was soon filled with food enough for the two of them. As they ate, they shared about their memories and whether they would want to visit each other's parents tomorrow. It was a dinner with the lights dimmed and a single candle placed in the center. Simple, yet romantic. Both of them had never once asked for much, and they were already contented with such an arrangement.

"Would you like to exchange presents now?" Dongyeol asked when they had finished.

"Sure," Wooseok nodded and went to get it.

Dongyeol, too, returned with a present and handed it to Wooseok first. "Merry Christmas!" He exclaimed.

"I wonder what you've got for me," Wooseok smiled as he opened the gift. His face fell when he saw a familiar plant lying innocently at the bottom of the box, but then laughed. "A mistletoe?"

"I wish you to kiss me under that," Dongyeol giggled.

"I will kiss you anywhere...but just not in class," Wooseok joked.

Dongyeol tutted, "So insincere. So what have you gotten for me?"

Wooseok stood up and walked closer to Dongyeol, a box in hand. He then knelt down on one knee and looked up at him. Dongyeol's heart was bursting with happiness. Could it be...? Wooseok opened the box, revealing a silver ring resting inside.

"Will you marry me?"

But Dongyeol smiled impishly and closed the box with a soft thud. "Not until we had graduated."

"Awww," Wooseok whined and stood up.

"Come on, it's not like we will break up anyways," Dongyeol laughed.

"I thought it would be romantic to do it right now," Wooseok huffed.

"I find it so. But we got to graduate first. You understand that, right?"

"Of course. Anything for you," Wooseok leaned in for a kiss but was stopped by Dongyeol's fingers. "What now?" He groaned slightly.

"Not so fast. We have a mistletoe to hang!" Dongyeol giggled again.

"Seriously," Wooseok sighed and smiled, following Dongyeol to the window.

Dongyeol hung the mistletoe on the ceiling. He looked up at the beautiful plant, remembering the time when their two best friends had kissed under one too.

"I'm not going to wait anymore," Wooseok said and cupped Dongyeol's face in his hands, making his face so squashed up. "Ah this is so cute!"

Dongyeol tutted again. "You-"

Wooseok closed his eyes and shut him up with the long-awaited kiss. Dongyeol closed his too, relishing in the moment. They had a lengthy kiss, not caring if other people could see them through the window. It was Wooseok who broke away and he smiled.

"Merry Christmas."

"I love it," Dongyeol hugged him tightly. "I guess there is no better present than each other's presence."

"That rhymes."

"Indeed," Dongyeol laughed.

They broke away again and leaned against the window ledge. The window pane was mostly frosted up, making the lights looked extra dreamy. Even though they could not look outside as clearly, it still looked like it was straight out of a painting. Dongyeol looked up at the stars. At times like this, he could not help but to think about his departed friend. Wooseok knew, because he understood how important Hwanhee was to him. It was Dongyeol's strongest friendship, one that no other would be able to surpass. Through the times spent in high school, Dongyeol had learned a lot from Hwanhee and grown so much. Wooseok knew, because this particular male would never stop mentioning about him. He did not feel jealous, not even once. Because he knew, that if he took away this memory, Dongyeol would be devastated.

"I'll go wash the dishes now," Wooseok said and kissed Dongyeol again on the cheeks.

"Alright," Dongyeol smiled.

He was left alone at the window again. He held the pendant in his hand. He could still hear the laughters and visualise the lights on the Christmas Tree as if that day was only yesterday. The very last Christmas that he had spent with Hwanhee would always be fresh in his mind. He was unfortunately not able to hold on till this Christmas. But he would not cry. He was over that. He had moved on. The memories are just reminders of how Hwanhee's life had been fruitful. Dongyeol would not continue mourning forever, Hwanhee would have hated to see that. He heaved a sigh, smiled, pendant in hand, and he whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Hwanhee hyung."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this special chapter! This is my first time writing a Christmas fanfic so I hope this was okay! Please do let me know by giving this fanfic support :D
> 
> This most likely marks the end of this series and I would not be touching on this anymore. However, there will be new fanfics in the future so do subscribe if you find my writings good! And that's all I have for you today! Merry Christmas!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE (25 Dec 17): For the upcoming Christmas, I have uplaoded the special Christmas chapter! Do read it~ :D


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